Slugfest!

It's hard to believe that it has been over a year since Mark Waid and Barry Kitson rebooted Legion. Last issue's all-out battle against Terror-Firma and its leader, Praetor Lemnos, was so entertaining, it was a shame to have to wait so long for the next issue to read the conclusion of the story. Since the story in issue #13 is untitled, it makes me wonder if it was originally intended to be published in one giant-sized issue, which would have been great. Of course it would have probably set the cover price somewhere around $6 or $7, but it would have made the story more eventful. Plus, issue #12 was released on November 30, so everyone had to wait seven weeks for the conclusion!

Well, issue #14 comes out this week (only two weeks after the release of #13), and I should mention that it seems like it would be a good jump-on point for new readers, especially if you enjoyed reading a cosmic, space-faring series like Rann-Thanagar War. Waid has done a really good job of slowly re-introducing the legion of Legion characters a few at a time. This time in issue #14, it's Atom Girl a.k.a. Shrinking Violet, who had a brief cameo in issue #12.

Issue #13 opens at the moment Lemnos give the command to attack! His troops are poised before hundreds of transmatter gates as they prepare to invade dozens of worlds from the enemy's baseworld at the charted edge of space, and as a result, just beyond the United Planets' jurisdiction. A team of Legionnaires on the planet Ttrxlian manage to shut down the teleportation transmatters, preventing the galactic assault.

Caught unaware, Lemnos troops turn to the Legion as the staging area erupts into a slugfest! After Projectra aids in releasing the captive, Brin Londo (Timber Wolf), Brin then joins the Legionnaires as the battle intensifies when Lemnos' elite guard, Terror Firma, arrives to exert even more pressure.

Meanwhile, Rokk Krinn (Cosmic Boy) and Dirk Morgna (Sun Boy) locate and confront Lemnos himself in order to put a final end to his bid. Lemnos and Cos exchange words and both realize how their goals are so similar: they share a vision of spurring the United Planets away from complacency in the hopes of ushering in a new era of interstellar progress. Of course, they differ because Lemnos intends to accomplish the goal by starting an interplanetary war!

Then a cadre of Lemnos' elite guard, Terror Firma, seemingly come to his rescue. They trap Dirk in a stasis field, and Lemnos orders them to execute Morgna. But suddenly, the tables turn as Lemnos' guard refuses to participate in murder or fight what is by all accounts a losing battle. Cosmic Boy is livid as he fails to understand how the band of renegades can think they will simply be able to walk away from all the damage they have caused. The members of the guard explain that they only joined Lemnos in order to gain retribution against the United Planets for being born in exile as children of the criminals the U.P. simply left for dead among the planets on the far-reaches of the galaxy.

Never one to miss his cue, Lemnos uses the opportunity to make a break for it. With a sizeable lead, and thinking he's made good his escape, he is suddenly confronted by a transmatter portal from which Braniac 5 emerges! Querl Dox zaps and subdues Lemnos, then hauls him back through the portal.

And on the battlefield, the last vestiges of the Lemnos troops have succumbed to the Legion's battlefield tactics! Once again, a teleportation gate appears and Braniac emerges. Cos and Brainy exchange words about Lemnos fate, but Brainy cuts him off and directs him to give the order to direct the Legionnaires home, or what's left of it seeing as how Legion headquarters was destroyed by Lemnos right hand man, the terrakinetic Elysion. Cos acquiesces and is about to instruct what will be done with the Terror Firma agents in custody, when Dirk Morgna tosses his Legion flight ring to Cosmic Boy's feet and announces, "They're with me!"

Having been on the verge of quitting the Legion for several issues, Dirk takes this opportunity to start his new life and help the Terror Firma members find their way.

This issue also has a 6 page back up story that focuses on Dream Girl titled The Hours, written by Stuart Moore. And it include another illustrated letters page. If you haven't bought a Legion book lately, you should at least flip through one to check out how Waid and Co. conduct their letters page! Also, every issue of Legion clocks in with at a whopping 40 pages: 28 pages of story and art; 30 pages of art if you include the illustrated letters page. All a pretty good bang for your buck.